Heuer: House Republican Legislative Priorities Achieved (4/26/2013)

Friday, April 26, 2013 7:00 pm

Start Date:

4/26/2013

All Day

STATEHOUSE - Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives, Brian C. Bosma (R-Indianapolis), announced the end of session, or Sine Die on Friday evening, closing out a year of priorities achieved. The House Republican agenda, which was released in October, centered on making Indiana a stronger state for future generations, by focusing on fiscal integrity, job growth, and enhanced education opportunities for every Hoosier.

The House Republicans’ “Own Your American Dream” plan focuses on three key concepts: financial security, matching Hoosier workers with high paying jobs, and making education investments.

“The Legislature reinforced its commitment to the Hoosier economy by enacting a budget that maintains prudent reserves, provides the largest tax cut in Indiana history and invests more into education,” said State Representative Kathy Heuer (R-Columbia City). “All of these strategic investments will keep Indiana on the right path towards a more prosperous economy and enjoyable place to live.”

Financial Security for Future Generations

“For the last three years, Indiana has been at the forefront of the nation’s recovery effort creating more jobs than most other states. The strength of the Hoosier workforce is a real asset to attracting companies to Indiana in addition to the pro-business and taxpayer-friendly policies enacted by the Legislature,” said Rep. Heuer.

Indiana is one of only nine states that has a AAA credit rating from all three credit agencies. Indiana holds a higher credit rating than the federal government, whose debt has now passed the $16 trillion mark for the first time in our nation’s history. That equates to more than $50,000 of debt for every man, woman and child in the U.S.

Bridging the Skills Gap

“We have focused over the past decade on creating the best environment in the midwest through policies that encourage and incentivize companies from all over the world to relocate and grow in Indiana,” said Speaker Bosma. “HEA 1002, the Indiana Career Council (ICC), develops a workforce that will better prepare Hoosiers for the needs of a globally dynamic marketplace,” said Bosma.

According to the Indiana Vision 2025 report published by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, more than 930,000 Hoosiers lack the basic skills to thrive in today’s economy.

Designed to improve coordination, communication and vision for Indiana’s workforce training and career preparation systems, the ICC is a panel that will bring the principal stakeholders in the state’s workforce development efforts together to create a stronger plan to move Indiana forward. Members of the ICC will be charged with aligning the education skills and training provided by Indiana’s educational, job skills and career training systems with the existing and projected needs of the state’s job market. The legislation also puts into law a longitudinal data system to track the effectiveness of the state’s educational and workforce programs.